Ze Pequeno (Lil Ze)
ZE PEQUENO Ze pequeno (Lil Ze in the english translation) is a main character and the antagonist of the movie. Originally growing up as a young hooodlum (alongside his best friend,Bene) seemingly without parents and with a dream of becoming a powerful crime lord, he would go on to become just that. Armed with a sense of ruthlessness and a small measure of cunning he grows up to take charge of his own crime gang and ends up wiping out all the other druglords in the Cidade De Deus to become the only one left bar another druglord known as Carrot. He's shown to be heartless and careless towards others,preferring to use more violent and unnecessary means to be able to get his point across. He only cares to do something for someone when it directly affects him personally.Such as when he hunted down a group of runts purely because of the fact that they had robbed a bakery in his territory that was kicking up money to him. HISTORY Ze Pequeno was born and raised in City of Gods somewhere in the mid to late 50's. At some point he befriended Bene who would go on to become his best friend (becoming almost like a brother to him).This would make him the only real family figure that he has as not much is known about his family,despite not being directly related to him. At the time Lil Ze was simply referred to as Lil Dice. Lil Dice would later become acquainted with three Criminals who referred to themselves as the Tender Trio.He would especially gain a good friendship with the leader of the trio called Shaggy who seemed to be the only one out of the three that actually treated him with respect while the other two ridiculed and harassed him. One day he would show up to a local soccer game being played by the kids of the favela (including Buscupe and Stringy) demanding the ball being passed to him as he wants to play.He would later join the Tender Trio on a robbery of a propane gas tank in which he would harass the driver alongside Shaggy into giving them any money he has on on him.He even goes as far to begin kicking the driver while he's on the floor after he's knocked down to the ground. He flees alongside and later convenes with them as they discuss means of getting more money just just truck robberies. He gives the suggestion of robbing a motel for money. During the actual robbery, he gets into an argument with Goose after he tries to grab his gun. He's given a gun and ordered to wait outside as a lookout and to shoot the one of the motel windows if he sees any cops coming. Jealous of the fact he has been left out,he shoots the window anyway even though no cops are coming and kills all the occupants of the motel.Knowing that Shaggy wouldn't forgive him for what he's done, him and Bene flee the City of God and they perform petty crime elsewhere gaining themselves a large amount of money and jewelry. He and Bene return to the City of God and are sorting through their money when they're interrupted by Goose who's fleeing the City of God. After he hits Lil Dice and takes a sum of their money,Lil Dice kills him. He and Bene continue on performing petty crime killing various other members of the Favela as well as gaining a following of other like minded kids who would join into his crime gang. By 18 he had become a respected criminal within the favela. During his birthday,he gets into a alteration with a peaceful man,Knock Ned, and also pulls Bene aside and expresses his desire to kill the other drug lords in the City of God and take over their territory. He and Bene and their gang begin brutally killing all the other drug lords and take over their respective territories with the exception of Carrot as he's a good friend of Bene. With a majority of the territories now belonging to Lil Ze, the last place he has left to take over is the apartment which is controlled by Blackie , a young late teenage manager.He's stopped from killing Lil Ze by Bene who convinces him to have Blackie work for Lil Ze. He almost comes close to killing Rocke (who at the time was visiting Blackie to get some weed off him) but is stopped by Bene who points out Rocket's relationship to Goose in which he lets Duscape go. Lil Ze's drug business continues to strive making him and Bene considerably rich.One day he's approached by a bakery owner who informs him about a robbery on his bakery by the runts. Lil Ze track down the runts in an alleyway and manage to capture two of them. Despite giving them the option of getting shot in the hand or the foot,he shoots them in the foot anyway.He then gives his gun to a young kid,Steak and Fries, and orders him to pick one and kill them. After the kid kills one of them,Lil Ze alongside the rest of his gang welcome him into the gang as an official member.This gains him more respect from the favela's community. While attending a party, he attempts to talk to Carrot about runts from his territory robbing shops in Lil Ze's territory however Carrot dismisses him.This results in a heated argument between Lil Ze and Carrot in which Bene intervenes and convinces Carrot to tell his runts to lay off robbing in Lil Ze's territory. Lil Ze later beats Blackie in the apartment for killing his girlfriend in the favela which has caused the police to begin flooding through the favela asking questions regarding the death.Lil Ze is intent on killing Blackie in order to make an example of what happens when someone kills a person in his territory. However Bene talks him out of it instead banishing Blackie out from the apartment and the crime gang. He attends Bene's farewell story and attempts to ask a girl to dance in which he's rejected.He pulls Bene aside and attempts to convince him to abandon his desire to leave the City of God with his girlfriend.After being unsuccesful he notices Knockout Ned dancing with the girl he attempted to ask out. Out of frustration on his failed effort with Bene mixed with jealousy,him and a few members of his gang force Knockout Ned at gunpoint to strip naked and begin dancing. He notices Bene giving a camera to Buscape and takes the camera from him,resulting in a tug of war between him and Bene for the camera. Blackie (who had originally been aiming for Lil Ze) accidentallly shoots Bene instanty killing him. Distraught, Lil Ze sends of a equally devastated Angelica away at gunpoint. Knowing of Carrot's involvement in Bene's death (although it was accidental) coupled with his growing hatred for him,Lil Ze gathers all the members of his crime gang and proceeds to head to Carrot's to finish of him.While on route, he attempts to flirt with the same girl who he'd tried to ask to dance at Bene's farewell party in which he's rejected. He later ambushes both her and her boyfriend (who happens to be Knockout Ned) and makes him watch as he rapes her.However instead of killing either, he rather shoots the ground next to Ned's head and departs back on his way to Carrot's. He later shows up at Ned's house and demands for Ned to come outside,in which his brother comes out instead. As he pretends he's about to and get his brother, he turns and attempts to stab Lil Ze where he manages to stab him in the arm but he's swiftly killed by Ze's gang. While being patched up, him and a few members of his gang are attacked by an enraged and infuriated Knockout Ned who shoots Tuba in the arm and manages to kill one of the members of his gang while Tuba,Lil Ze and the rest of his small crew are able to escape. An angered Lil Ze would end up getting sick of Tuba (whom he had constantly considered annoying) to the point of killing him for talking to much. He sends Steak and Fries,a young kid member of his gang, to negotiate a deal with Carrot where Lil Ze and his gang will lay off them if they give him Knockout Ned however Ned instead sides with Carrot and his crime gang sending back Steak and Fries to relay the new partnership to Lil Ze This results in a large scale war between the two gangs where Knockout Ned and Carrot begin attacking members of Lil Ze's gang and causing Lil Ze to retaliate. The war escalates to the point of kids joining both sides for various sides and the real reason behind the war being lost.One of these being Tiago(a former Groovie and close friend of Bene) who joins on Lil Ze's side. One night, the scrapyard in Lil Ze's territory is attacked and taken over by Knockout Ned,Carrot and their gang in which Steak and Fries is killed and Knockout Ned is shot. Angered at Knockout Ned ending up on the front page, he decides to use the camera he took off Buscape to take some photos of him and his gang to send to the press. He expresses emotion when retrieving the camera as it reminds him of Bene. While attempting to take the photos, the camera malfunctions resulting in Tiago getting Buscape to take the photos. Lil Ze gives him a wad of cash and asks him to bring back the photos after they're ready. He would later discover the photos on the front page and shows much pleasure in seeing them there as he believes they show everyone there who the boss is. He and his gang call over Charlie or "Uncle Sam" as he's called because of his large range of weapons, in order to to buy some new weapons for his war. However having invested most of his money into the war with Carrot and Knockout Ned, Lil Ze is short of money is unable to pay Charlie for the weapons resulting him in kicking out Charlie out. He calls the runts to him and starts giving them guns offering for them to join into his side and help out with the war with Knockout Ned and Carrot. However when they ask if they will be allowed to rob Lil Ze denies them robbing in his territories. While the preperations are being made for an upcoming festival, one of the chickens that are to be killed skinned and cooked escapes.Lil Ze sends his gang and the runts to chase after it. Consequently Buscape,who believes that Lil Ze is angered and out to kill him for the photos ending up on the front page, is walking through the City of God at the same time. Lil Ze appears and with his gang behind him asks for Rocket to catch the chicken. Right as Rocket prepares to, a small group of police appear behind Rocket in which Lil Ze and his gang raise their guns threateningly causing the police to retreat. Lil Ze asks for Rocket to take a picture but as he's about take the picture, Knockout Ned,Carrot and his gang appear killing of one Lil Ze's lieutenants causing the rest of the group to scramble. A big shooutout ensues between both sides as many of Lil Ze's members are killled. Lil Ze and Tiago hijack a truck but however while they're attempting to escape Tiago ,who's driving,is shot and killed causing the truck to crash which renders Lil Ze unconscious. By the time that Lil Ze comes around, most of his forces have been killed and the police have arrived with a larger group and have begun arresting people from both sides. Lil Ze is put into a squad car directly opposite Carrot but is take out a short distance later and taken into an alleyway. The police release him taking what's left of his money and telling him to fill up what's left of what he owes them. Cursing in anger at his predicament, he's joined by the runts who he suggests helping him out in doing some holdups to gain more money.However he's suddenly pulled to the ground and killed by the runts in revenge for their friend's death as well as to take over the City of God's crime business. Rocket who had been taking pictures of Lil Ze's final moments decides to publish the picture of Lil Ze dead on the front page as opposed to his dealings with the police.